The Portland Groove Collective, well known in the Pacific Northwest for their individual musicianship and tight grooves, has just released their first CD, featuring nine original tunes penned by members of the group. This CD is a real delight; PGC manages to combine fresh new material with an old-school jazz/rock/latin band aesthetic that is very appealing. The musicians are all standout performers in their own right. Christian Botto’s guitar work anchors the tracks harmonically, and he brings a vast palette of styles to his groove and solo playing from his diverse musical background. Saxophonist Les Gray weaves solos that are melodic and edgy at the same time. My personal feeling is that a band is only as good as its bass player, and by that criterion bassist Grady McKenzie provides the structure to make PGC a great band. Grady swings and grooves comfortably on both acoustic and electric bass, and is a terrific soloist. One surprise for me was that Michael Kora – a very solid, creative, and swinging drummer – was such a tasty  electric piano player and composer. Adding flavor to the tracks is multi-percussionist Milledge Bennett.
All of the tracks on this CD are very strong – no throwaways here! My own favorites include “Pin-Day-Tuck,” a groove tune with a very strong, hooky melody and great solos by Botto and Gray. “Bella’s Step,” written by guitarist Botto, is a sweet latin number that nods to the classic compositions of Jobim. “Call Back” starts with a strong bass line, and develops into a gently grooving fusion piece. Actually, any of the tracks on this strong debut CD could (and should) find airplay on jazz and multi-format radio stations and bring PGC the wider audience they clearly deserve.
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